Just as his character on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy is discovering he is dad to an 18-year-old daughter, Eric Dane is about to embark on first-time fatherhood himself. Expecting a baby girl with wife Rebecca Gayheart in March, the timing isn’t lost on the 37-year-old actor. Notes Eric,

“It’s literally life-imitating. I’m reading baby books now.”

Fans of Dr. Mark Sloan need not fear that the Seattle Grace heartthrob will disappear ala Dr. Izzie Stevens, however. While costar Katherine Heigl took a lengthy hiatus after becoming mom to daughter Naleigh, now 13 months, Eric says he intends to stay put. He adds,